


No Dream Sweeter

by hazelfern



Category: Free!
Genre: Dogs, Drabble, Fluff, Gen, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-19 21:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5981856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelfern/pseuds/hazelfern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gou has a quiet evening with her dogs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Dream Sweeter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Strider_Sis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strider_Sis/gifts).



> Happy Birthday to my lovely friend [Strider_Sis](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Strider_Sis)! This is just a little drabble, but I hope you like it! :)

“Hello! I’m home! Boys?” Gou calls out as she steps through the door of her apartment, a full bag of groceries heavy on her hip. In her head, she counts out one, two seconds, then the air is filled with excited barking and the scuffle of paws against hardwood floor. She manages to close the door and hang up her keys before a dog bursts into the living room.

He’s small, with a wavy yellow fur and bright pink eyes, and he bounds toward Gou in a series of high, energetic leaps that never ceases to amaze her. Unsurprisingly, he’s the source of the barking too, the yips spilling from his throat at the apex of each jump. Gou makes a mental note to take him to the groomer’s soon; his coat is getting long and his curly fringe almost obscures his vision.

Ambling along behind is her bigger dog, his mouth curved into a relaxed smile and his tongue lolling as he pants. He’s shaggy too, but his fur is straight and brown. His long tail swings back and forth, heavy enough to knock over anything it would’ve hit if Gou hadn’t already moved everything fragile to higher locations.

“Haha, hi Nagi! Didja miss me?” Gou asks the small dog, who, having reached her, is now hopping around her feet as she attempts to make her way to the kitchen. As soon as she’s set the groceries down, she bends over and scoops up her yappy little monster, laughing as he wriggles in her grasp and licks at her face. She feels the weight of her big dog as he leans against her legs, a heavier and quieter display of affection. Dropping a hand down, she gives him a good scratch behind his ear.

“Hello to you too, Mako. Are you guys hungry?” she asks, the question rhetorical. She knows they’re always ready for food regardless of the time of day. Popping a kiss onto her little dog’s head, Gou sets him down and heads over to where the kibble is kept. Both dogs pick up on what’s happening immediately and rush over to their food bowls. The little yellow dog’s whole butt is wagging along with his tail in his excitement.

Gou giggles at the sight. Grabbing the bowls off the floor, she sets them on the counter and portions out the dog food. Before returning them to her eager pups, she takes a small handful of kibble and holds a piece out to Makoto.

“Sit,” she commands, cocking her hand in a practiced movement. The big dog backs up into sitting position immediately, eyes trained on her, and she smiles.

“Good boy,” she coos, and holds out her hand with the kibble flat on her palm. Makoto is gentle as he takes it in his teeth, and crunches contentedly while Gou turns to Nagisa. The little dog has a pouty look on his face.

“I didn’t forget about you, silly,” she reassures him, holding out another piece. “Sit!” Nagisa dances back and forth a little, but finally his butt hits the ground too.

“Good,” Gou says, smiling. Nagisa snatches the kibble out of her palm with more gusto, but still manages to keep his teeth in check. Now that both dogs are sitting, Gou takes the food bowls off the counter.

“Wait,” she cautions, and the dogs blink obediently up at her. Once she’s sure they won’t rush at the food, Gou sets the bowls down on the floor.

“Okay!” Her boys pop up immediately and dig into their dinner. Gou watches them fondly for a moment, then moves to put away the groceries and prepare her own.

 

She curls up on the sofa after washing the dishes and leaving them to drip dry, and it isn’t long before Nagisa and Makoto decide that it’s cuddle time. They know that the couch is the only furniture they’re allowed on, and they take full advantage. Makoto only needs a small hop to arrive beside her, settling in quickly and laying his big block head on her lap. Gou’s hands find his ears, and she sets about giving them a gentle massage.

There’s enough room for Nagisa to join, though it takes him a bit more momentum to scale the cushions. Once he succeeds, he snuggles in against Makoto’s warm bulk with a happy sigh. Gou chuckles to think that she’d ever been worried about bringing Nagisa into their lives. Far from being too much for her older dog, Nagisa’s spirit and enthusiasm seemed to give Makoto more energy than he had ever exhibited before.

When she glances over, she sees Makoto watching Nagisa out of the corner of his eye, his gentle gaze steady and seemingly affectionate. Then he notices that her hands have stopped moving and jostles them a little with his head, begging for more petting. She obliges, her smile melting into a wide yawn.

 

Gou takes her dogs out one more time before bed, to ensure that they won’t wake her in the middle of the night. Then, after giving them each a kiss on the head, she disappears into her bedroom and climbs between the sheets. The boys curl up together on the large doggie bed outside her door, nudging each other with their noses as they squirm and get comfortable. Originally, Gou had bought a second bed for Nagisa when he joined their little family, but it had proved unnecessary. Nagisa made it clear early on that he preferred Makoto’s warm to having his own cushion, and the big dog didn’t seem to mind.

With a final sleepy yawn, Nagisa buries his face in Makoto’s fur and the two drift off, thoroughly content. The quiet ticking of the clock and the occasional canine huff are the only things that break the silence of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me on Tumblr as [haikyukulele](http://haikyukulele.tumblr.com/) and on Twitter, [@haikyukulele](https://twitter.com/haikyukulele). Feel free to hit me up!


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